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Thousands in Clayton County still without water
As the metro Atlanta area thaws out, thousands are still waiting for running water. Many have gone nearly a week without it. FOX 5 has received numerous calls and emails asking about the problem and officials in Clayton County respond to when will it actually fix the problem and why is it taking so long?
CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Metro Atlanta is thawing out a bit this week after an Arctic blast. The cold strained utilities and left thousands without water.
Some residents have been out of water for nearly a week and many in Clayton County are wondering when the problems will be fixed and why it is taking so long.
As many as 5,000 customers in the county have low pressure or no water at all since Christmas Day.
Many of those customers end up like Courtney Miller, pushing a shopping cart filled with bottles of water.
"I have my little son and my sister has her little son. We got to keep coming back and forth to the store to get water," Miller said.
The mother of a 6-month-old has had no service for days.
"Since Christmas night," Miller said. "We can’t wash, we can’t wash dishes, we gotta take wash-ups."
Miller is just one of the thousands of frustrated water customers in the county who have been struggling since the weekend.
"It’s really depressing," she said.
"We know they’re frustrated, and angry, and we do understand that," said Clayton County Water Authority spokesperson Suzanne Brown.
"Incredible sub-freezing temperatures that hit metro Atlanta over the weekend, has caused pipes to freeze and then burst, which has left us with numerous leaking pipes throughout our system," Brown said.
So, why have customers gone so long without service?
"This is not a typical situation," Brown said.
Brown says the county is trying to patch a multitude of complex leaks throughout its system.
"It’s really caused such a strain on our distribution system," Brown said. "Unfortunately, because of the complexity of it, it’s not a quick fix."
But when can residents expect the problem to be fixed?
"Unfortunately, I can’t give you a ballpark estimate. We want it fixed now. We wanted it fixed for days and we’re working around the clock to get it fixed," Brown said about a possible estimated time.
The county will hold a press conference addressing the water problems at 11 Thursday morning at the Clayton County Police Headquarters.